Locking Device for a Shipping Container and System for Releasably Locking Container Components Together

ABSTRACT

A locking device for a shipping container and system for redundantly locking container components together include a socket, upper and lower arms, upper and lower braces, and a clasp. The socket has upper and lower parts connected together to form a hinge at a rear of the socket with a socket cavity having an opening at a front of the socket. Also, the upper and lower arms of the device are fixedly connected to the upper and lower parts at the front of the socket. Further, the upper and lower braces of the device are fixedly connected to the upper and lower parts at the rear of the socket. The clasp is adapted to engage the socket to retain the socket and the components locked together in the assembled container.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a locking device and, moreparticularly, to a locking device for a shipping container and a systemfor releasably locking container components together.

2. Description of the Related Art

A printer is a peripheral device which produces a hard copy of imagesand documents on print media that have been stored in electronic form.Printers are manufactured products that must be shipped to wholesalersand retailers to sell to commercial and private entities. A commonpractice for shipping large printers is the use of an upper corrugatedenclosure carton that is attached to a corresponding mated bottomcorrugated tray on which the printer is set.

One approach to locking the carton and tray together for the shipment ofprinters is the use of multiple identical locking devices installed inmatching holes spaced around the carton and tray. This prior art lockingdevice has a rigid socket with front and rear openings and a pair ofdoor-like flaps hinged to the socket along opposite sides of the rearopening for undergoing pivotal movement between lateral extendinglocking positions and rearward extending non-locking positions. Thelocking device also has a clasp that is flexibly attached to the socketand can be snugly fitted into the socket through its front opening toengage the rear flaps, forcing them to swing outwardly in oppositedirections to the lateral extending locking positions. When they are intheir locking positions they extend beyond the opposite sides of thesocket where they prevent the socket's removal and thus lockably securethe container components together, protecting the printer from potentialdamage during shipment.

The problem that has arisen with the use of this prior art lockingdevice is the tendency of its clasp to work free of and release from thesocket. This allows the rear flaps to pivot to their rearward extendingnon-locking positions which then enables the socket to work free fromthe container components and fall out of their matched openings. Theupper enclosure carton can then become detached from the correspondingbottom tray such that the protection of the printer may be compromised.

Consequently, there is a need for an innovation that will overcome theproblem associated with the prior art locking device and more securelylock the components of the printer shipping container together.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an innovation in the form of a lockingdevice with built-in double locking redundancy designed to satisfy theaforementioned need. The locking device of the present invention thusavoids the problem of the prior art device and more securely lockstogether the carton and tray of the shipping container, enabling thecontainer to be able to withstand the normal abuse encountered duringshipment.

Accordingly, in an aspect of the present invention, a locking device fora shipping container includes a socket, upper and lower arms, and upperand lower braces. The socket has upper and lower parts connectedtogether to form a hinge at a rear of the socket with a socket cavityhaving an opening at a front of the socket. The hinge between the upperand lower parts is flexible such that the application of a squeezingaction on the upper and lower parts toward each other converts thesocket from an erected condition to a collapsed condition and the frontopening from an opened condition to a substantially closed condition.The hinge also is biased to return the socket to the erected conditionupon release of the application of the squeezing action thereon.

Also, the upper and lower arms of the device are fixedly connected tothe upper and lower parts of the socket such that the upper and lowerarms are spaced apart from one another but extend in a substantiallycommon forward plane at the front of the socket and in oppositedirections from the opening of the socket cavity when the socket is inthe erected condition. The upper and lower arms are adapted for grippingby a user to apply the squeezing action on the upper and lower partssuch that a folding action of the upper and lower arms toward oneanother occurs that concurrently causes the socket to convert from theerected condition to the collapsed condition.

Further, the upper and lower braces of the device are fixedly connectedto the upper and lower parts of the socket such that the upper and lowerbraces are spaced apart from one another but extend in a substantiallycommon rearward plane at and in opposite directions from the rear of thesocket when the socket is in the erected condition. The folding actionof the upper and lower arms toward one another also causes a foldingaction of the upper and lower braces therewith toward one anotherconcurrently as the socket is deformed from the erected condition to thecollapsed condition to allow insertion and withdrawal of the socket andthe upper and lower braces through a passage in the walls of matingparts of a shipping container. Then, with return of the socket and theupper and lower braces therewith from the collapsed condition back tothe erected condition, with the socket and upper and lower bracesinserted through the opening, the space between the forward plane of theupper and lower arms and the rearward plane of the upper and lowerbraces is sufficient to confine the walls of mating parts of theshipping container therebetween so as to retain the parts in a matedrelationship.

In another aspect of the present invention, a system for releasablylocking container components together includes a pair of componentsfittable together to provide an assembled container, the components eachhaving a plurality of openings which align with the plurality ofopenings of the other to define passages through the assembledcontainer, and a plurality of locking devices each insertable into arespective one of the passages through the assembled container. Eachlocking device includes a socket with spaced front and rear restraintstructures. The socket and front and rear restraint structures areconvertible between a collapsed condition in which the socket and rearrestraint structure are installable through the one passage and anerected condition after installing the socket through the one passage inwhich the rear restraint structure extends along an inner side of theassembled container adjacent to the one passage and the front restraintstructure extends along an outer side of the assembled containeradjacent to the one passage. Each locking device also includes a claspadapted to engage the socket to retain the socket with the spaced frontand rear restraint structures in the erected condition, and thecomponents locked together in the assembled container, with the socketfilling the one passage and the front and rear restraint structuresrespectively positioned along the inner and outer sides of assembledcontainer adjacent to the one passage retaining the components togetherin the assembled container.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Having thus described the invention in general terms, reference will nowbe made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn toscale, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a locking device according to thepresent invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the locking device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is another rear perspective view of the locking device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the locking device taken along line 4-4 ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the carton, tray, and lockingdevices according to the present invention prior to being assembled.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a user holding the upper and lowerfinger grips of the locking device.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the user compressing the fingergrips of the locking device together.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the locking device in a collapsedcondition about to be inserted into the shipping container openings.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the locking device as inserted andinternally locked inside the shipping container.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a clasp being moved for snap fittinginto the inserted portion of the locking device.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the locking device redundantly doublelocked to the assembled shipping container.

FIG. 12 is perspective view of two locking devices installed and onelocking device in the process of being installed in the assembledshipping container.

FIG. 13 is an enlarged fragmentary view of FIG. 12.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not allembodiments of the invention are shown. Indeed, the invention may beembodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limitedto the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments areprovided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legalrequirements. Like numerals refer to like elements throughout the views.

Referring to FIGS. 1-4, there is illustrated one of a plurality oflocking devices, generally designated 10, used for locking shippingcontainer components, such as carton 12 and tray 14 shown in FIGS. 5, 12and 13, to one another. The locking device 10 of the present inventionbasically includes a socket 16, a front restraint structure 18 on thesocket 16 in the form of upper and lower arms 20, 22, and a rearrestraint structure 24 on the socket 16 in the form of upper and lowerbraces 26, 28. The socket 16 has upper and lower parts 30, 32 connectedtogether to form a hinge 34 at a rear 16 a of the socket 16 with asocket cavity 36 having an opening 38 at a front 16 b of the socket 16.

The locking device 10 is manufactured by using conventional techniques,such as injection molding, from a suitable resiliently deformableplastic material, for instance polypropylene. This material allowsdeformation of the device 10 and folding at the hinge 34 when asqueezing force is applied to the upper and lower parts 30, 32 of thesocket 16. The hinge 34 at the rear 16 a of the socket 16 between theupper and lower parts 30, 32 of the socket 16 is thus deformable uponsqueezing the upper and lower parts 30, 32 toward each other to convertthe socket 16 from an erected condition to a collapsed condition, asseen respectively in FIGS. 6 and 8, and concurrently the front opening38 of its socket cavity 36 from an opened condition to a substantiallyclosed condition, also as seen respectively in FIGS. 6 and 8. Theresiliency of the material biases the socket 16 to return to the erectedcondition when the squeezing force is released from the upper and lowerparts 30, 32.

The upper and lower parts 30, 32 of the socket 16 each have oppositelateral sides 30 a, 32 a, front and rear ends 30 b, 32 b and 30 c, 32 c.The upper and lower parts 30, 32 each also have forward and rearwardsections 40, 42 and 44, 46. The rearward sections 44, 46 of the upperand lower parts 30, 32 are substantially identical to one another andintegrally connected to one another to form the hinge 34 at the rear 16a of the socket 16. The rearward sections 44, 46 are disposed in asubstantially perpendicular relationship when the socket 16 is in theerected condition, as seen in FIGS. 4 and 6, and a substantiallyparallel relationship when the socket 16 is in the collapsed condition,as seen in FIG. 8.

The forward sections 40, 42 of the upper and lower parts 30, 32 arespaced apart respectively at a top 16 c and a bottom 16 d of the socketcavity 36 in a substantially parallel relationship when the socket 16 isin the erected condition. Additionally, the forward section 40 of theupper part 30 of the socket 16 is bifurcated so as to have an opening48. The forward section 42 of the lower part 32 of the socket 16 isattached centrally to the rearward section 46 of the lower part 32 so asto align with the opening 48 of the bifurcated forward section 40 of theupper part 30. The forward section 42 of the lower part 32 insertsthrough the opening 48 of the forward section 40 of the upper part 30,as seen in FIG. 8, when the upper and lower parts 30, 32 of the socket16 are squeezed toward each other and the socket 16 is deformed from theerected condition to the collapsed condition.

The upper and lower arms 20, 22 are fixedly connected to the upper andlower parts 30, 32 of the socket 16 such that the upper and lower arms20, 22 are spaced apart from one another but extend in a substantiallycommon forward plane at the front 16 b of the socket 16 and in oppositedirections from the opening 38 of the socket cavity 36 when the socket16 is in the erected condition, as seen in FIGS. 4 and 6. The upper andlower arms 20, 22 also have opposite top and bottom ends 20 a, 22 a and20 b, 22 b and opposite lateral sides 20 c, 22 c.

The upper arm 20 is bifurcated so as to have an opening 50 aligned withthe opening 48 of the forward section 40 of the upper part 30 of thesocket 16. Furthermore, the lower arm 22 at its top end 22 a isintegrally connected to the forward section 42 of the lower part 32 ofthe socket 16 and disposed in a substantially perpendicular relationshiptherewith when the socket 16 is in the erected condition, as seen inFIGS. 4 and 6. The lower arm 22 inserts through the opening 50 in thebifurcated upper arm 20 when the upper and lower parts 30, 32 of thesocket 16 are squeezed toward each other and the socket 16 is deformedfrom the erected condition to the collapsed condition, as seenrespectively in FIGS. 6 and 8. The upper arm 20 at its top end 20 a andthe lower arm 22 at its bottom end 22 b provide curved shaped edgesadapting them for gripping by a user, as seen in FIG. 6, for applying asqueezing action on the upper and lower arms 20, 22 that causes afolding and scissoring action of lower part 32 and the lower arm 22 withand into the upper part 30 and the upper arm 20 at the opening 50 withinthe upper part 30 and upper arm 20 as the socket 16 is deformed from theerected condition to the collapsed condition, as seen respectively inFIGS. 6 and 8.

The upper and lower braces 26, 28 are fixedly connected to the upper andlower parts 30, 32 of the socket 16. The upper and lower braces 26, 28are spaced apart from one another, but extend in a substantially commonrearward plane at and in opposite directions from the rear 16 a of thesocket 16 when the socket 16 is in the erected condition, as seen inFIGS. 4 and 6. When the socket 16 is deformed to the collapsedcondition, the upper and lower arms 22, 22 are folded toward one anotheralso concurrently causing a folding action of the upper and lower braces26, 28 therewith toward one another,r as seen in FIGS. 6 and 8.

The deformation of the socket 16 from the erected condition to thecollapsed condition allows for the insertion and withdrawal of thesocket 16 and the upper and lower braces 26, 28 through a passage 52 athrough components of an assembled container 52, as seen in FIGS. 8, 11,12 and 13. The socket 16 and the upper and lower braces 26, 28 therewithreturn from the collapsed condition back to the erected condition, asshown in FIGS. 6 and 8, when the squeezing force on the upper and lowerarms 20, 22 is released. When the upper and lower braces 26, 28 areinserted through the passage 52 a and extend in the common plane, thespace between the forward plane of the upper and lower arms 20, 22, andthe rearward plane of the upper and lower braces 26, 28 is sufficient toconfine the components of the assembled container 52 together, as seenin FIGS. 4, 12 and 13.

To prevent the socket 16 from being deformed from the erected conditionto the collapsed condition, a clasp 54 is connected on one of thelateral sides 20 c of the upper arm 20, as seen in FIG. 9. The clasp 54is swingable in an arcuate path toward and away from the front opening48 of the socket 16 and is adapted to be fitted into and released fromthe socket 16 in a close fitting relationship therewith. Additionally,the clasp 54 includes a lip portion 56 located on the front of the clasp54. The clasp 54 also has a hollow cavity 58 behind the lip portion 56to allow for insertion of a finger tip from a user to pry outward torelease the clasp 54 from the socket 16, as seen in FIG. 11.

Attached to both the socket 16 and clasp 54 are a plurality ofengageable elements 60. The plurality of engageable elements 60 on boththe socket 16 and clasp 54 snap fit together when the clasp 54 is fittedinto the socket cavity 36 so as to releasably retain the clasp 54 in thesocket cavity 36. Furthermore, in the exemplary embodiment, theplurality of engageable elements 60 on the socket 16 and clasp 54 may bein the form of engaging pins on upper and lower portions 54 a, 54 b ofthe clasp 54 and edges 62 of slots 64 formed in the upper and lowerparts 30, 32 of the socket 16. The engaging pins 60 of the clasp 54 snapfit with the edges 62 of the slots 64 in the upper and lower parts 30,32 of the socket 16.

Referring now to FIGS. 4-13, a pair of components in the form of thecarton 12 and tray 14 are fittable together to provide the assembledcontainer 52. The components each have a plurality of openings 12 a, 14a which match and align to define the plurality of passages 52 a throughthe assembled container 52. Each locking device 10 is insertable into arespective one of the passages 52 a through the shipping container 52.The socket 16 and the front and rear restraint structures 18, 24 areconvertible between the collapsed condition in which the socket 16 andrear restraint structure 24 are installable through the one passage 52 aand the erected condition after installing them through the passages 52a, as seen in FIGS. 6 and 8. The rear restraint structure 24 is locatedalong an inner side 52 b of the shipping container 52 adjacent to thepassage 52 a and the front restraint structure 18 is located along anouter side 52 c of the shipping container 52 adjacent to the passage 52a.

As mentioned previously, the hinge 34 of the socket 16, is flexible suchthat the application of a squeezing action on the upper and lower parts30, 32 toward each other converts the socket 16 from the erectedcondition to the collapsed condition permitting the locking device 10 tobe installed through the passage 52 a and redundantly locked, as seen inFIGS. 12 and 13. When the application of the squeezing action on theupper and lower parts 30, 32 occurs, the upper and lower arms 20, 22fold toward one another also causing the upper and lower braces 26, 28to fold therewith toward one another concurrently as the socket 16 isdeformed from the erected condition to the collapsed condition. Thisdeformation from the erected condition to the collapsed condition allowsfor the insertion and withdrawal of the socket 16 and the upper andlower braces 30, 32 through the passage 52 a formed through theassembled carton and tray 12, 14 of the shipping container 52, as seenin FIG. 6.

With the return of the socket 16 and the upper and lower braces 26, 28therewith from the collapsed condition back to the erected condition,with the socket 16 and upper and lower braces 26, 28 inserted throughthe passage 52 a, the space between the forward plane of the upper andlower arms 20, 22 and the rearward plane of the upper and lower braces26, 28 is sufficient to confine the components of the now assembledcontainer 52 together, as seen in FIG. 4. These components are thusactivating what can be termed a secondary or redundant lockingmechanism.

Additionally, the clasp 54 is adapted to engage the socket 16 to retainthe socket 16 with the spaced front and rear restraint structures 18, 24in the erected condition, and the carton 12 and tray 14 thus lockedtogether in the assembled container 52. With the socket 16 filling thepassage 52 a and the front and rear restraint structures 18, 24respectively positioned along the inner and outer sides 52 b, 52 c ofassembled container 52 adjacent to the passage 52 a, the components areretained together in the assembled container 52 by activating what canbe termed a primary locking mechanism.

Furthermore, the primary locking mechanism is unlocked upon release ofthe clasp 54 from the socket 16. The fingertip of a user may be placedin the hollow cavity 58 of the clasp 54 and manually unsnap and releasethe clasp 54 from the snap-fitted connection with the socket 16. Thenthe user can squeeze the upper and lower parts 30, 32 together torelease and remove the locking device 10 from the assembled container52. Once all of the locking devices 10 are removed from the assembledcontainer 52, the carton 12 and tray 14 can be taken apart todisassemble the container 52.

Referring now to FIGS. 6 through 11, the locking device 10 is shown in astep by step procedure for installing the locking device 10 in thepassage 52 a of the assembled container 52. First, the user grasps thelocking device 10 by upper and lower finger grips formed on the upperend 20 a and lower end 22 b of the upper and lower arms 20, 22 of thelocking device 10, as seen in FIG. 6. Next the user compresses orsqueezes the upper and lower ends 20 a, 22 b of the locking device 10together, as seen in FIG. 7. Then, the locking device 10, now in acollapsed condition, is ready to be inserted into the passage 52 a ofthe assembled container 52, as seen in FIG. 8. The locking device 10 isnow inserted and internally locked inside the assembled shippingcontainer 52, as seen in FIG. 9. Then the clasp 54 (not shown in FIGS.6-8) is moved for snap fitting into the inserted socket 16 of thelocking device 10, as seen in FIG. 10. Thusly, the locking device 10 isredundantly double locked to the assembled shipping container 52. Byreversing the steps of this procedure, the unlocking of the assembledcontainer 52 is accomplished.

The foregoing description of several embodiments of the invention hasbeen presented for purposes of illustration. It is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, andobviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of theabove teaching. It is intended that the scope of the invention bedefined by the claims appended hereto.

1. A locking device for a shipping container, comprising: a sockethaving upper and lower parts connected together to form a hinge at arear of the socket with a socket cavity having an opening at a front ofthe socket, the hinge between the upper and lower parts being flexiblesuch that the application of a squeezing action on the upper and lowerparts toward each other converts the socket from an erected condition toa collapsed condition and the front opening from an opened condition toa substantially closed condition, the hinge also being biased to returnthe socket to the erected condition upon release of the application ofthe squeezing action thereon; a front restraint structure includingupper and lower arms fixedly connected to the upper and lower parts ofthe socket such that said upper and lower arms are spaced apart from oneanother but extend in a substantially common forward plane at the frontof the socket and in opposite directions from the opening of the socketcavity when the socket is in the erected condition, the upper and lowerarms being adapted for gripping by a user to apply the squeezing actionon the upper and lower parts such that a folding action of the upper andlower arms toward one another occurs that concurrently causes the socketto convert from the erected condition to the collapsed condition; and arear restraint structure including upper and lower braces fixedlyconnected to the upper and lower parts of the socket such that saidupper and lower braces are spaced apart from one another but extend in asubstantially common rearward plane at and in opposite directions formthe rear of the socket when the socket is in the erected condition suchthat the folding action of the upper and lower arms toward one anotheralso causes a folding action of the upper and lower braces therewithtoward one another concurrently as the socket is deformed from theerected condition to the collapsed condition to allow insertion andwithdrawal of the socket and the upper and lower braces through apassage through components of an assembled container and with return ofthe socket and the upper and lower braces therewith from the collapsedcondition back to the erected condition, with the socket and upper andlower braces inserted through the passage, the space between the forwardplane of the upper and lower arms and the rearward plane of the upperand lower braces is sufficient to confine the components of theassembled container together.
 2. The device of claim 1 wherein the upperand lower arms are respectively disposed in substantially perpendicularrelationships with said upper and lower parts of the socket.
 3. Thedevice of claim 1 wherein the upper and lower braces are respectivelydisposed in substantially perpendicular relationship with the upper andlower parts of the socket.
 4. The device of claim 1 wherein the socketis made of a deformable material such that the hinge at the rear of thesocket is deformable upon the application of the squeezing action to theupper and lower parts of the socket.
 5. The device of claim 1 whereinthe upper arm is bifurcated such that said upper arm has a centralopening formed therein.
 6. The device of claim 5 wherein the lower armis aligned with the central opening in the upper arm and insertstherethrough when the upper and lower parts of the socket housing aresqueezed toward each other and the socket is converted from the erectedcondition to the collapsed condition.
 7. The device of claim 1 whereinthe upper and lower parts of the socket each have forward and rearwardsections, the upper and lower parts have rearward sections substantiallyidentical to one another and integrally connected to one another to formthe hinge at the rear of the socket such that the rearward sections aredisposed in a substantially perpendicular relationship when the socketis in the erected condition and a substantially parallel relationshipwhen the socket is in the collapsed condition.
 8. The device of claim 7wherein the forward section of the upper part is bifurcated so as tohave an opening, the forward section of the lower part being attachedcentrally to the rearward section of the lower part so as to align withthe opening of the bifurcated forward section of the upper part suchthat the forward section of the lower part inserts through the openingof the forward section of the upper part when the upper and lower partsof the socket are squeezed toward each other and the socket is convertedfrom the erected condition to the collapsed condition.
 9. The device ofclaim 8 wherein the upper arm is also bifurcated so as to have anopening aligned with the opening of the forward section of the upperpart of the socket.
 10. The device of claim 1 further comprising: aclasp adapted to be fitted into and released from the cavity of thesocket through the front opening thereof, the clasp fitting into thesocket cavity in a close fitting relationship therewith preventing thesocket from being deformed from the erected condition to the collapsedcondition.
 11. The device of claim 10 wherein the clasp is connected ona side of the upper arm and is swingable toward and away from the frontopening of the socket.
 12. The device of claim 10 wherein the claspincludes a lip portion located on the front of the clasp and the clasphas a hollow cavity behind the lip portion to allow for insertion of afinger tip to pry outward to release the clasp from the socket.
 13. Thedevice of claim 10 further comprising: a plurality of engageableelements on the socket and clasp that fit together when the clasp isfitted into the cavity of the socket so as to releasably retain theclasp in the socket cavity.
 14. The device of claim 13 wherein theplurality of engageable elements releasably snap fit together.
 15. Thedevice of claim 13 wherein the plurality of engageable elements on thesocket and clasp are in the form of engaging pins on upper and lowerportions of one of the clasp and the upper and lower parts of thesocket.
 16. The device of claim 15 wherein the engaging pins of thesocket and clasp snap fit with edges of slots formed in upper and lowerportions of the other of the clasp and the upper and lower parts of thesocket.
 17. A system for releasably locking container componentstogether, comprising: a pair of components fittable together to providean assembled container, the components each having a plurality ofopenings which align with the plurality of openings of the other todefine passages through the assembled container; and a plurality oflocking devices each insertable into a respective one of the passagesthrough the assembled container, each locking device including a socketwith spaced front and rear restraint structures, the socket and frontand rear restraint structures being convertible between a collapsedcondition in which the socket and rear restraint structure areinstallable through the one passage and an erected condition afterinstalling the socket through the one passage, the rear restraintstructure along an inner side of the assembled container adjacent to theone passage, and the front restraint structure along an outer side ofthe assembled container adjacent to the one passage; and a clasp adaptedto engage the socket to retain the socket with the spaced front and rearrestraint structures in the erected condition, and the components lockedtogether in the assembled container, with the socket filling the onepassage and the front and rear restraint structures respectivelypositioned along the inner and outer sides of assembled containeradjacent to the one passage retaining the components together in theassembled container.
 18. The system of claim 17 wherein said socket ofeach locking device includes upper and lower parts connected together toform a hinge at a rear of the socket with a socket cavity having anopening at a front of the socket, the hinge between the upper and lowerparts being flexible such that the application of a squeezing action onthe upper and lower parts toward each other converts the socket from anerected condition to a collapsed condition and the front opening from anopened condition to a substantially closed condition, the hinge alsobeing biased to return the socket to the erected condition upon releaseof the application of the squeezing action thereon.
 19. The system ofclaim 18 wherein said front restraint structure includes upper and lowerarms fixedly connected to the upper and lower parts of the socket suchthat said upper and lower arms are spaced apart from one another butextend in a substantially common forward plane at the front of thesocket and in opposite directions from the opening of the socket cavitywhen the socket is in the erected condition, the upper and lower armsbeing adapted for gripping by a user to apply the squeezing action onthe upper and lower parts such that a folding action of the upper andlower arms toward one another occurs that concurrently causes the socketto convert from the erected condition to the collapsed condition. 20.The system of claim 19 wherein said rear restraint structure includesupper and lower braces fixedly connected to the upper and lower parts ofthe socket such that said upper and lower braces are spaced apart fromone another but extend in a substantially common rearward plane at andin opposite directions form the rear of the socket when the socket is inthe erected condition such that the folding action of the upper andlower arms toward one another also causes a folding action of the upperand lower braces therewith toward one another concurrently as the socketis deformed from the erected condition to the collapsed condition toallow insertion and withdrawal of the socket and the upper and lowerbraces through the passage in the assembled container and with return ofthe socket and the upper and lower braces therewith from the collapsedcondition back to the erected condition, with the socket and upper andlower braces inserted through the opening, the space between the forwardplane of the upper and lower arms and the rearward plane of the upperand lower braces is sufficient to confine the components of theassembled container together.